Dune 2 will "surprise" people, says Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem has revealed that he's read the script for Dune: Part 2 – and he thinks it will "surprise" people.

The actor plays Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen tribe that Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) meet towards the end of the first movie, a role that he's reprising for the sequel. 

"I’ve read the new draft," Bardem said during a Q&A at Cannes Film Festival (via Deadline). "And I think they’ve done an amazing job of putting together the pieces in a way that is gonna surprise people. They won’t be surprised [by what happens], obviously, because they’ve read the book, but they’ll be surprised by the way they put it together. I was very moved by it. It’s a movie that is full, and you can feel the weight of it, and at the same time [you can enjoy] the spectacularity of it. [I can’t wait] to go back to the desert with those people, and I’m so happy to go back with [director] Denis [Villeneuve], who is one of the greatest directors ever. He’s a lovely man."

As for what else we can expect from the sequel, Villeneuve has hinted at a more cinematic Part 2. In an interview last year, the director said: "The difference is just that Dune: Part One, of course, is like an introduction to a world where we explain who is who, who is doing what, and what is the technology? What is the culture here? The second movie, I think, will be an opportunity to have much more fun. In a way, it will be more cinematic."

Dune: Part 2 will also feature new cast members, including Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, the Emperor's eldest daughter, and Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, the heir of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård).

While we wait for Dune: Part 2 to arrive on the big screen on October 20, 2023, check out our list of the other upcoming movies to get excited about this year and beyond.